Meet Nicolea Pettis

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicolea Pettis a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Nicolea with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I’ve always been that kid who couldn’t leave something alone once I got curious. If I liked something, I’d practice it nonstop and want to understand it fully. So my work ethic really comes from that: curiosity first, and then consistency. If I’m interested, I’m locked in and I’ll keep showing up until I’m better.”

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I teach Brazilian Samba, Rio Carnival–style, here in Los Angeles, twice a week. I also perform with different groups focused on Afro-Brazilian dance and Samba, and I drum with an all-female percussion ensemble called Bloco Obini. I’m also a dancer with the band Extra Ancestral.

What feels most special about what I do is that Samba is so much bigger than what people see on the surface. Yes, it’s vibrant and joyful, but it’s also rooted in history, resilience, and resistance. It’s been genuinely transformative for me. It taught me how to be in my body, to accept and love my body in every season, and to remember that joy can be an act of power, especially when a culture has survived so much and still created something that has moved the world for over a hundred years.

And that’s really what my brand is about: community, honesty, and growth. I love teaching because I get to watch people come out of their shell and surprise themselves.

As far as what’s next, I’m developing new choreography and performance work that shows a different side of Samba. I want people to see that it isn’t one look or one costume – it’s an art form with range, depth, and so many ways to express yourself. I’m excited to bring that to life in the coming year.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Well First was work ethic. I trained like no other. I treated practice like a relationship: show up, even when it’s not glamorous, and keep going. Second was determination. There were plenty of moments where it would’ve been easier to stop, especially once I got ‘good enough,’ but I kept asking myself, what’s on the other side of staying consistent? And the third one, honestly, was belief in myself. That part came later. It grew through the reps, through performing, through competing, through getting back up over and over. I competed five times and earned five titles, and that journey taught me that confidence isn’t something you wait for, you build it.

For people early in their journey, my advice is simple: pick something and commit longer than you think you should. Most people quit right around the point they’re getting good. That was a pattern for me, I’d go hard for two years, then move on. Samba was the first time I challenged myself to stay past that. And that’s when the doors really opened: teaching more, performing more, even parading in Carnival in Brazil.

And the beautiful part is, committing to one thing doesn’t limit you. It actually expands you. When you go all-in on one craft, it strengthens everything else you care about, and opportunities you didn’t expect start finding you.

Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?

I love this question, because my answer has changed over time.

For a big part of my life, I thought I needed to be well-rounded, like I had to be good at everything to be taken seriously. But what I’ve learned is: it’s usually better to go all-in on your strengths, and build enough range around them so your strength can actually travel.

Here’s why. When you commit to the thing you’re naturally strongest at, you start to create momentum and momentum attracts opportunity. That’s been my experience with Samba. Once I truly committed to dance, doors opened in unexpected ways. People would say, “Wait, don’t you have an acting background?” and suddenly an acting gig would come. Or, “Didn’t you sing?” and then I’d get pulled into a project that needed a vocalist, or a musical element. The funny part is: focusing didn’t shrink my world, it expanded it. My “one thing” became the doorway to the other things I love.

And I also learned this the hard way: sometimes we abandon our strengths because they come easily. Singing was like that for me. It felt natural, so I didn’t nurture it the way I nurtured dance. Dance required training, lessons, and repetition. I had to work for every inch of progress, and I respected that grind. But if I’m being honest, a part of me wonders what would’ve happened if I’d invested that same level of devotion into the thing I was already gifted at. That’s something I’d tell my younger self: don’t neglect what comes naturally just because it comes naturally. Talent still needs stewardship.

Now, do I think we should ignore our weak areas? No. You need to be aware of them and you should strengthen what’s necessary so your growth isn’t held back. But I don’t believe in trying to become “average at everything.” I believe in becoming excellent at what you’re built for, and then collaborating for the rest.

That’s actually one of the most empowering parts of it: when you know your strengths, you also learn how to build the right partnerships. You stop wasting years trying to be every role, and you start building teams and communities where everyone shines. That’s where the real magic happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicoleapettis.com/
• Instagram: @nicolea.pettis , @SambaClass.LA
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nicoleapettis

Image Credits

Gia Trovela Photography, Tyler Baker Photography,